How to Choose the Right Eyeliner Shape for Your Eye Type

To choose the right eyeliner shape, identify your eye type first. Hold a mirror straight ahead and look at where your inner corner, pupil, and outer corner sit relative to an imaginary horizontal line across your face. The outer corner may sit higher than the inner corner (upturned), lower (downturned), or level (almond). Notice whether the eyelid is fully visible or covered by excess skin (hooded). Check whether you have a visible crease or a flat lid (monolid). These anatomical details determine which eyeliner placements enhance rather than flatten your eyes.

Almond Eyes: The Balanced Base

Almond-shaped eyes have balanced proportions where the outer corner sits slightly higher than the inner corner, and the eyelid is fully visible. This shape accommodates almost any eyeliner style because the eye already has natural structure.

Winged Eyeliner for Almond Eyes

The classic winged eyeliner complements almond proportions without distorting them. Draw a thin line along the upper lash line from the inner corner to the outer corner, then extend it upward and outward at a 45-degree angle, ending roughly where your brow arch would be when looking straight ahead. Use a formula with staying power—Tracta’s Eyeliner Liquid (approximately R$ 18) has a fine brush for controlled line thickness, while Natura’s Aquarela Gel Eyeliner in black (around R$ 25) sets completely matte and resists humidity for eight hours or more.

Soft Smudged Lines for Daily Wear

A softer alternative is a smudged line for daytime. Apply a dark brown pencil like Avon’s Super Longa Duração Eyeliner (around R$ 15) along the upper lash line, then blend it with a flat brush or sponge before it sets. This creates definition without a graphic look and works well under eyeshadow.

Hooded Eyes: Placing Eyeliner Where You See It

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Hooded eyes have excess skin covering part of the eyelid, so traditional eyeliner placement disappears when your eyes open. The solution is to place eyeliner above the anatomical crease, on the visible portion of your lid rather than the lash line itself.

Tightlining to Define Without Closing the Eye

Start with a tightline—a thin line on the waterline (the wet edge between your lashes and eye) using a pencil like Mister Beauty’s Eyeliner (around R$ 20). This defines the lash line without consuming precious lid space. The dark pigment sits along the root of your lashes, making them appear fuller while leaving room for eyeshadow or additional eyeliner on the visible portion of your lid.

Floating Crease Liner Technique

For a more defined look, use a floating crease liner: draw above where the hood begins, on the visible portion of your eyelid, and extend it slightly upward and outward. This line becomes visible only when your eyes are open, adding definition exactly where needed. Makeup artist Christen Dominique teaches this approach to clients with hooded lids—the line sits floating above the natural crease because that crease remains hidden beneath the hood. Use a liquid eyeliner with a precise brush, like MAC Cosmetics’ Kajal Liquid Eyeliner (approximately R$ 80–120 in Brazil) or the more affordable Aspa Cosméticos Eyeliner Líquido (around R$ 35). Apply in short, controlled strokes rather than one long sweep to prevent the line from wavering as your lid moves.

Monolid Eyes: Creating Definition on Flat Lids

Monolid eyes have no visible crease and a completely flat eyelid surface. Standard winged eyeliner can look flat or even closure-inducing because there’s no natural fold to anchor visual interest. Use a graphic eyeliner approach instead: draw a thicker line with a defined wing extending upward at roughly 60 degrees rather than 45 degrees. This steeper angle creates visual lift on a lid that lacks natural dimension.

Makeup artist James Welsh recommends starting the wing extension from the outer third of the eyelid, making it more dramatic than you would on a lid with a visible crease. The Missha Eyeliner Pen (around R$ 45–60 in Brazil) has a flexible brush that creates both thin and thick strokes. Many monolid wearers layer techniques: apply a tightline first with a pencil like Luisance’s Lápis de Olho (around R$ 12), then add a thicker graphic line above using a liquid formula. This layering creates dimension impossible with one product alone.

Round Eyes: Adding Angles to Counter Roundness

Round eyes are large and open with the pupil centered between inner and outer corners. Without intention, eyeliner can make them appear even rounder. Create structure by building angles: make the upper line thicker at the center and taper it thin at the inner corner, then thicken again toward the outer corner. This concentration of color at specific points breaks up the roundness visually.

Apply a thin line along the entire upper lash line using a pencil like Natura’s Ekos Eyeliner (around R$ 20), then return to thicken only the center and outer sections. A liquid eyeliner gives you this control—Tracta’s Eyeliner Tinta Black (around R$ 18) has enough pigment that even thin lines appear dark. Extend the outer corner slightly upward, not a full wing but enough to create a point that counteracts roundness while remaining modern and wearable.

Downturned Eyes: Reversing the Natural Slope

Downturned eyes have outer corners sitting lower than inner corners, creating a sad or droopy appearance even when the person is happy. Eyeliner reverses this visually by drawing upward. Start with a thin line along the upper lash line from the inner corner through center. As you reach the outer third, angle the line upward instead of following your eye’s natural downward slope. By the outer corner, the line should sit noticeably above where the corner actually is, making the eye appear to turn upward.

Liquid eyeliner is essential for this precision. Natura’s Una Eyeliner (around R$ 35) or Aspa Cosméticos’ Gel Eyeliner (around R$ 40) both allow thin-to-thick line control and mid-stroke direction changes. Skip lower-lid eyeliner, which emphasizes the downward turn; instead, use a nude or white pencil on the waterline to open the eye.

Close-Set Eyes: Emphasizing the Outer Corners

Close-set eyes are positioned closer together than one eye-width apart. Eyeliner should create visual distance by emphasizing outer corners and leaving inner corners bare. On the upper lid, start the eyeliner slightly inward from the very inner corner—leave 2–3 millimeters bare. Draw across the lash line and extend into a wing pointing outward and slightly upward. This wing should be longer than on other eye shapes to maximize outward emphasis.

Avoid lining the inner corner waterline, which brings eyes visually closer. If you want lower-lid definition, start your lower eyeliner from the center outward, leaving the inner corner completely bare. Use a pencil eyeliner first for placement control—Mister Beauty’s Eyeliner Lápis (around R$ 20)—then layer a liquid eyeliner in matching shade to set the line and intensify it.

Product Selection and Application

The best eyeliner for your eye shape isn’t the most expensive. Liquid eyeliners from Aspa Cosméticos or Tracta (R$ 15–35) perform as well as luxury brands for most eye shapes. Pencil eyeliners work well for tightlines and layering but smudge faster in humidity. Gel eyeliners in pots, like Natura Aquarela (around R$ 25), sit between pencils and liquids in staying power and price. The brush applicator matters as much as formula—too thick prevents precision on hooded or monolid eyes, too flexible makes straight lines difficult on round or downturned eyes. For removal, use a dedicated eye makeup remover like Natura Ekos Demaquiante (around R$ 30–40) rather than rubbing with soap and water, which thins the lash line over time.